First published: 1928. Christie's ninth book, eighth novel, and sixth featuring Poirot. Again, her life wasn't in the best place during its writing - she was still deeply affected by the breakup of her marriage and the death of her mother, and reportedly considered The Mystery of the Blue Train to be her least favourite of her books.
Title: Pretty standard. Le Train Bleu was a French luxury night express train, favoured by the rich and famous, which operated from 1886 to 2003 between Calais and the French Riviera (thank you, Wikipedia).
Plot: It's a bit of an odd one. Numerous characters are introduced in the first part of the book, not all of whom will be ever mentioned again. First we're in the backstreets of Paris where an exchange of goods is taking place, then meeting a Greek antique dealer and a mysterious man with white hair known as M. le Marquis, then at the Savoy with a rich American (Christie's Americans are always rich), his daughter Ruth and her unsatisfactory husband. Then suddenly we're in St Mary Mead with Katherine Grey (but Miss Marple is nowhere to be seen). Then we're in the French Riviera with Lady Tamplin, her fourth husband and her daughter Lenox. (An unusual name, I thought. Ruth's husband is named "Derek", which I didn't know was popular in the 1920s.)
The eponymous Blue Train doesn't appear till around a quarter of the way through - neither does (the allegedly now retired) Poirot. To be honest, I forgot he was supposed to be in it for ages, though once he turns up, he does play a large role. Hastings is absent and unmentioned, aside from one passing reference.
Once all these disparate elements started coming together, I quite enjoyed it. Katherine is our heroine: a formerly penniless companion who has come into money, an intelligent and reflective young woman whose calm grey eyes seem particularly alluring to the various men she meets. An encounter on the Blue Train draws her into murder and mystery.
The plot - jewel theft, murder, various comings and goings on the train - is a little complicated. I did suspect one person, but was still surprised when the identity of the "Marquis" was revealed.
There are hints of romance for certain characters, but it was impossible to predict exactly how it would turn out.
Poirot-isms: His avuncular relationship with Katherine is quite sweet. He's as self-effacing as ever, of course:
"I am Hercule Poirot."
"Yes, Monsieur?"
"You do not know the name?"
"I have never heard it."
"Permit me to say that you have been badly educated. It is the name of one of the great ones of this world."
Acceptable in the 20s? I don't think there's anything too jarring. Some national stereotypes and unnecessary references to people being Jewish, but nothing majorly offensive.
I enjoyed this description of Lady Tamplin's dopily amiable fourth husband, known as "Chubby":
"He was one of those staunch patriotic Britons who, having made a portion of a foreign country their own, strongly resent the original inhabitants of it."
Plus que change, etc.
Americans with Silly Names Watch: None. Rufus Van Aldin is this book's resident American millionaire, but his name isn't particularly ludicrous. There's a Frenchman called Armand de la Roche, which is rather marvellous. And the aforementioned Lenox Tamplin, but she's not American.
Verdict: I liked it better than The Big Four, which isn't saying much. Christie herself deemed it her least favourite story, but I think there are more deserving candidates for the dubious accolade of her worst. Interesting to get an early reference to St Mary Mead - Christie clearly (and rightly) liked the name well enough to adopt it for Miss Marple's village. (It also marks the first appearance of Poirot's valet, George, or "Georges" as he calls him.)
Up next: Peril at End House. I don't remember this at all, though I've definitely read it.
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